And We All Fall Down
by Jasmin Kenobi
Summary: *Goes along with This is Me and has spoilers for Star Trek:The Fall books* All Lynna wants is to go to Starfleet Academy and become a science officer like her mother. But as murder runs rampant amongst the fleet, a series of brutal attacks is connected to one of her new friends. How far will Lynna go to save her friends, even if it means the end of her career before it starts?


**AN- So here we are. I have yet another new story and like a million more still unfinished. I really need to stop. Oh well. Ain't no rest for the wicked.**

Pocketful of Sunshine

"Are you sure it's safe for her to join Starfleet? I mean, does Starfleet even accept Romulans?"

Lynna dr'Lissen t'Rellai listened carefully to her parent's conversation.

Her mother sighed, "They got the hell over themselves years ago. Hiren is doing fine, isn't he? He was just telling me last week how the first officer on his ship is a Romulan, as is their chief medical officer. Lynna will be fine, so stop worrying, Ranek."

His reply was instantaneous, "Yes, and I've done my own research. That CMO of his happens to be Admiral Crusher's daughter and that first officer is your cousin's daughter. What about people like Lynna, who don't have higher up parents?"

Lynna could almost hear Soleta wince.

"She has a 'higher up parent' dear. You're a Senator and…"

"What?"

"I just accepted a post as an Admiral at Starfleet Command."

You could have heard a pin drop. Lynna held her breath, waiting for her father's reply.

"Why?" he asked after several minutes.

"Because Worf asked me to. Zak flat out told him no and Tania's worried about her own mental state. So, I told Worf that I'd accept," Soleta replied, "Besides, now I don't have to put up with Elizabeth."

"Only you could find a joke in something so serious," Ranek laughed, "But really, why?"

"Because of our daughter, who just so happens to be hiding behind a stack of cargo crates not two meters from us," Soleta said. Lynna cursed her mother's Vulcan genes, which had enabled her to establish a familial bond between them.

"Lynna!" Ranek called out. She stepped out from behind the cargo containers and faced her parents. Her father looked downright pissed, while Soleta was trying to conceal a smile.

"What do you think you were doing, young lady?" he asked.

"I wanted to know what you would decide. I really wanna go to Starfleet. I was talking to Aunt Robin the other day and she said that it's really cool!" Lynna started. Soleta held up a hand to stop her.

"Ranek, she has a right to know her own damned future," she said.

"Fine," he said, clearly still angry that Lynna had eavesdropped on their conversation.

"Lynna, I know you want to go to Starfleet. That's your choice. I have no problem with it. _We_ have no problem with it. We're just worried that you may not be accepted," Soleta said carefully. Lynna felt like she was soaring in the sky right now.

"I will be, Mom! You'll see! I promise I'll be good and I won't get into any trouble!" Lynna said. Soleta laughed.

"You'll get into trouble. Trust me, if you're my daughter, you'll get into as much trouble as I did," she said.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Lynna nervously looked around the crowd. She hurried to her dorm hall and got in line for the front desk. When she reached the desk, a kind-faced human woman waited.

"Name?" she asked.

"Lynna dr'Lissen t'Rellai."

"Ah. You're in 8-C. Here's your stuff."

The woman handed her a key card, a bundle of sheets, and a box containing cadet uniforms before sending Lynna on her way.

When Lynna reached 8-C, she nervously opened the door. No one was there yet, but the light was on in the bathroom that connected 8-C with 8-D.

"Hello?" she called out.

An Andorian girl poked her head out and smiled.

"Why hello there! You must be one of my suitemates. I'm Una," she said.

"I'm Lynna."

"Nice to meet you, Lynna!" the overly cheerful Andorian said with a large smile before disappearing back into the bathroom.

Lynna set her box of uniforms on the dresser at the foot of the bed she chose and left her suitcase next to it. Unwrapping the bundle of sheets, she quickly made her bed. As she was opening the box, another girl walked into the room.

She was a thin human girl with dark skin and raven-black hair. She favored Lynna with a cold glare.

"That's my bed," she said.

"That is illogical," Lynna protested, "This bed did not have a name on it, nor anyone's possessions, therefore it could be claimed by anyone."

"Yeah, I just did!" the other girl snapped. Their disagreement drew the attention of Una and another human girl, this one a blonde with a rather open face.

"What's going on over here?" Una demanded.

"This little Vulcan child took my bed," the girl snapped.

"Look, whoever you are. Lynna got here first, so she gets whatever damn bed she wants. Deal with it," Una said, "Elisa didn't complain when she found out I got the bed she had been hoping for."

"Well, maybe because she's a goody-goody. Take the stupid bed, little Vulcan. But my dad will hear about this. Mark my words," the girl said before dropping her bags on the other bed and walking out, instantly moving to the room across the hall.

"Thank you, Una," Lynna said.

"No problem. Don't worry about her. Her dad isn't as powerful as she likes to think. He just a Captain," Una said.

"Hi," the blonde said, "I'm Elisa Harell."

"I'm Lynna dr'Lissen t'Rellai," she replied.

"You're Romulan?" Una asked.

"Mostly. Mom is half-Vulcan," Lynna said. Una smiled and Elisa grinned.

"Cool," Elisa said, "One of my big brother's friends is Romulan. His name is Hiren."

Lynna's jaw dropped, "No way. That's my brother's name. He works on the _Unity_."

"So does Andrew!" Elisa said, "Awesome! How about you, Una?"

"I'm the first in my family to join up. Is it true that the new Vice Commander in Chief is half-Romulan, half-Vulcan?" Una asked.

Lynna flushed green, "Yea. She's my mom."

"Amazing! How many other officers do you know?" Elisa asked.

"Well, there's Aunt Eppy, who's an Admiral, too. Aunt Robin used to be in Starfleet, but isn't any more. Uncle Mac is a captain, and so is Uncle Burgy. There's Aunt Tania and Uncle Zak and lots of people," Lynna said.

"Huh," Elisa said, "So, you know about a ship full of people. Not bad. I know Andrew, and there's my uncle, who's a Commodore. His husband is a captain. My mom used to be a first officer, but retired when she got injured a few years back. My dad is a historian for Starfleet."

Una looked thoughtful, "Well, my parents have a friend who works on Deep Space Nine. That's about it."

"Well, you'll meet a lot more," Lynna said confidently, "You are in Starfleet now, so you can meet all kinds of people."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Professor Ruanek looked across his students and observed how diverse they were. There was a trio of a Romulan, an Andorian, and a human in the back. There was even a pair of Klingon cadets talking with a Romulan boy. T'Selis would be very proud.

"Alright. I think you all know why you're here, so let's get started," Ruanek started, "I'm Professor Ruanek. You're in Linguistics 101, in case you didn't know. Any questions?"

A hand shot up in the back.

"Yes?" he asked. A dark-skinned human girl asked possibly the stupidest question he had ever heard.

"Why are there more aliens than humans in here? They know other languages, so why do they need to be here?"

Ruanek drew on all of his wife's teachings to keep calm, "Because this is a required course for all first year cadets. And because this course will go over several languages. They may not know those languages."

"But they still know their own," she replied snobbily.

A Tellarite answered for Ruanek, "Have you ever heard of learning? I thought your people valued that above anything else."

"Thank you, Cadet Grell. While I would not have phrased it quite that bluntly, it is the truth," he said.

"Whatever," she snapped and went back to whispering to a quartet of other girls.

"Cadet Guiseppe. I expect you to pay attention after you expressed such an interest in learning other languages," Ruanek warned. She rolled her eyes, but shut her mouth.

"Now, we'll start off with a basic overview of the languages we'll be learning this year…"

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Una glanced over at Lynna, who looked completely focused on the lesson. Elisa did too.

The tall Andorian sent her a message on her tablet.

_Juleuna: I'm worried about Lynna. What if that chick starts targeting her because of a bed?_

Elisa looked instantly worried.

_Lzzy: That would be stupid. Besides, I think she can handle herself. I looked up her mom's file while Professor Ruanek was talking. Did you know that she used to serve under THE Admiral Shelby?_

_ Juleuna: No way. Wait, aren't Shelby's initials E.P.?_

_ Lzzy: Yea, why?_

_ Juleuna: E.P. could be abbreviated to Eppy._

_ Lzzy: Wow. That actually fits._

Elisa tapped Lynna and pointed to her tablet, meaning that Lynna should join.

_ Lzzy: So, what are you planning on majoring in?_

_ Juleuna: Tactical. I am debating a minor in Temporal Mechanics though. I really want a posting on a timeship. It would be sooo cool._

_Spectre: Biology and Astrometrics. I have heard that a Temporal Physics degree is a good thing to have right now, considering the recruiting DTI is doing._

_ Lzzy: I'm going for Communications, with a definite minor in Temporal Linguistics. I heard Professor Ruanek also teaches that class._

_ Juleuna: Wait, what's with the name, Lynna?_

_ Spectre: It's the name of my mom's ship. I was raised there._

_ Lzzy: The life of a Boomer. I know how that feels._

_ Spectre: I'm not sure I'm a Boomer, but it works._

_ Juleuna: Boomers. All so modest. Hey, wanna catch lunch later? I know a great place off-campus._

_ Spectre: Would we be on time for out next classes?_

_ Juleuna: If we catch a ride with someone. Elisa, didn't you say your brother was in town?_

_ Lzzy: Yea. I can send him a quick message and see if he'll take us…_

_ Lzzy: He'll take us. He's bringing a few friends with him. Maybe we can meet your brother, Lynna._

_ Spectre: I hope not. He might say embarrassing stuff about me._

_ Juleuna: Don't worry. We'll be hanging around each other for the next four years, anyway. _

"Is there a problem, girls?" Ruanek asked, noticing their fixation on their tablets.

"No sir," Elisa replied, "Just taking notes on the overview."

"Very well."

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Hiren looked over at his friend Andrew Harell. Andrew had asked him if they could pick up his sister and a few friends for lunch. Anna-Lissa LaForge laughed and made a joke about green cadets. René and Miana smiled and agreed. T'Ali had grinned and said something about teasing newbies.

When they pulled up, Andrew rolled down the window.

"Hello, ladies! Now hurry up!"

An Andorian scrambled in, followed by a human and a Romulan. Hiren sped off, causing Anna to laugh loudly.

"Welcome to the Officer's Bus, kids," T'Ali said, looking up into the rearview mirror.

"Aye, ma'am," Elisa Harell said. The Romulan smiled when she saw Hiren.

"Hey!" she called out.

"Hey Lynna. I didn't know you joined Starfleet," he said, never taking his eyes off the road.

"Dad doesn't like it, but Mom talked him around," she said.

"Uh, hi!" the Andorian said, "I'm Una."

"Hello Una," René said from behind her, scaring the poor kid.

"Don't mind them in the back. They're on different shifts right now, which means they need some time alone," Anna said.

"This isn't exactly ideal, with all you weird people in here. Hey, we're meeting the others, right?" Miana said before introducing them to the kids, "I'm Natasha Miana Riker-Troi and this is my husband René Picard. Up front is Hiren and T'Ali. Next to you all is Anna-Lissa LaForge and Andrew Harell. A word from the wise, just call her Anna, unless you have a serious death wish. And just call me Miana."

"Got it," Elisa said. Lynna nodded. Una grinned.

They kept up a friendly conversation until they reached the restaurant. A trio of officers waited out front for them.

"Hi Lynna!" Taylor Shelby-Calhoun said with a wide smile. Her twin, Serina, waved. Amelié Crusher didn't look up from the menu she was perusing.

"Do you know how bad your cholesterol will be eating all of this fried food?" she demanded after a minute of silence as everyone stared at her.

A waiter smiled at her, "Don't worry, ma'am. All of the food is tailored specifically so that we can put the doctors out of business."

"Well, I certainly appreciate that," Amelié said, "I happen to be a doctor myself. Take a look at this bunch. I can already see them basically begging me to allow the replicators to make this kind of stuff."

"Damn straight. I haven't had a decent non-replicator meal since that charlie-foxtrot that was our last trip to Bajor," T'Ali put in, "Who'd have thought that an assassin would resort to poisoning the wine. Too cliché, if you ask me."

The poor waiter looked so confused. Miana just smiled.

"Don't mind T'Ali. She's a little flighty on a good day," the counselor said. The waiter nodded and led them to a table for twelve.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Will Riker heard the swearing even as he walked into the office. A young Klingon aide gave him a glare.

"What do you want?" he snapped.

"Just to talk to the newest sufferer," Will said nonchalantly.

"Go right ahead," the Lieutenant said, gesturing back to the source of the loud swearing.

After hearing a rather vulgar curse, Will smiled, "Resurrecting the old language, is she?"

Lieutenant M'Tark smiled, "Yes, sir. I am learning much just by sitting here and policing incoming messages."

Will smiled and walked in. Soleta looked frustrated as her computer console kept chirping.

"Ah, the initial onslaught of work," he said, "I remember that all too well."

She just looked at him, "Most of them are from junior officers wanting to know when their next promotion is. When did they start getting this young?"

"About the same time that most of us here at Admiralty started counting our gray hairs and comparing them amongst each other," Will replied with a laugh.

"Oh, so only a few decades ago. I do recall Jellico talking about that a few times. Speaking of which, how is the President?"

"Oh, he's fine. Saavik is having a fun time keeping him in line. DTI is going on about some new universe popping up all of a sudden because of the supernova."

"Still? They've been talking about it for a year now. Is it true that Vulcan was destroyed in that new timeline?"

"Yes, and so was Andoria."

"Damn. That must be a fun mess for them."

"Always. Anyway, I just wanted to say hello and let you know that you and I get to go chaperone the Academy mixer tomorrow night. I guess they wanted to show the cadets how not to get into the Admiralty," Will smirked. Soleta just sighed.

"Please tell me there'll be some form of alcohol, because the Academy board looks poorly on Admirals smuggling in bottles of 'pain-killers'," Soleta said, almost desperately.

"Don't worry about that. We have the crew of the _Unity_ as back-up this year. I'm looking forward to meeting my son-in-law. Natasha still hasn't told me who he is," he said.

Soleta laughed, "Well, I already know who he is, but only because my son can't keep a secret from me for much longer than a minute before I find out."

"Well, I suppose I should leave you to sort out your mess. See you tomorrow, Soleta."

"Yeah," she mumbled, already distracted by the new batch of messages the console spit out at her.

! #$%^&*())(*&^%$# !

Lynna looked around at the sea of red uniformed cadets and officers in formal uniforms. Elisa and Una stood next to her, looking very unsure of themselves.

"I don't think I've ever seen this many people in one place," Una whispered.

Elisa smiled weakly, "I have. When my cousin got married. At least these people are dressed."

"Betazoid wedding, huh?" Lynna said.

"I swear that I will never think about one of those again!" she said.

A shadow interrupted their conversation by hovering over them. They looked up to see a Sulamid in the ceiling rafters, warbling along in time to the music.

Turning back to their conversation, they were interrupted again by another shadow, this one standing on two legs.

They turned to see Captain Alexander Rozhenko standing behind them.

"Hello cadets," he greeted them, "I trust you're doing well?"

"Aye sir," they chorused. He nodded and moved off.

"That was odd," Una commented. Elisa nodded in agreement.

"Oh, don't worry about that," Lynna said, "Hiren told me once that he wasn't really a people person."

"That would explain a lot," another cadet said, moving closer. He was a Klingon with a round face.

"Hi. I'm Torpeq," he said.

"I'm Una, and these are Elisa and Lynna."

"Hi. So, what are you guys in for?" he asked.

Elisa laughed, "Life."

"Sounds fun. Perhaps we could get together later and discuss this life sentence over a good round of bat'leth sparring," Torpeq offered.

"Deal!" Una said. Torpeq nodded happily and wandered off.

"I like him," Lynna said, "He's nice."

"He's definitely a keeper," Elisa joked.

Una smiled, "Absolutely."

**AN- Ah, another new story. Wow. I never thought my brain could process so many new ideas so quickly. I have too much time on my hands. Allons-y!**


End file.
